Like his framework, the president’s speech called for massive cuts to long-standing family reunification programs (what he maliciously labels “chain migration”).

The President erroneously noted that “a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives.” However, under current immigration laws U.S. citizens and permanent residents can only sponsor their immediate relatives which include spouses, children, siblings, and parents.

He also seeks to eliminate the diversity visa program, a program created to ensure immigrants from underrepresented countries had an opportunity to pursue their American dream.

All told, the president’s proposals could create a 44 percent cut in legal immigration, according to the Cato Institute.

The idea that we should eliminate diversity in our immigration policies and that adult children, siblings, and parents are “distant relatives” and should be cut out of eligibility for sponsorship is arbitrarily cruel. It also ignores the many contributions family-based immigrants and diversity visa winners make to the United States.